CD24(hi)CD27(+) B cells from patients with allergic asthma have impaired regulatory activity in response to lipopolysaccharide.

BACKGROUND: Regulatory B cells have been identified that strongly reduce allergic and auto-immune inflammation in experimental models by producing IL-10. Recently, several human regulatory B-cell subsets with an impaired function in auto-immunity have been described, but there is no information on regulatory B cells in allergic asthma. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the frequency and function of IL-10 producing B-cell subsets in allergic asthma were investigated. METHODS: Isolated peripheral blood B cells from 13 patients with allergic asthma and matched healthy controls were analyzed for the expression of different regulatory B-cell markers. Next, the B cells were activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), CpG or through the B-cell receptor, followed by co-culture with endogenous memory CD4(+) T cells and house dust mite allergen DerP1. RESULTS: Lower number of IL-10 producing B cells were found in patients in response to LPS, however, this was not the case when B cells were activated through the B-cell receptor or by CpG. Further dissection showed that only the CD24(hi)CD27(+) B-cell subset was reduced in number and IL-10 production to LPS. In response to DerP1, CD4(+) T cells from patients co-cultured with LPS-primed total B cells produced less IL-10 compared to similar cultures from controls. These results are in line with the finding that sorted CD24(hi)CD27(+) B cells are responsible for the induction of IL-10(+) CD4(+) T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these data indicate that CD24(hi)CD27(+) B cells from allergic asthma patients produce less IL-10 in response to LPS leading to a weaker IL-10 induction in T cells in response to DerP1, which may play a role in allergic asthma.

Sex-specific effects of naturally occurring variants in the dopamine receptor D2 locus on insulin secretion and type 2 diabetes susceptibility.

AIMS: Modulation of dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) activity affects insulin secretion in both rodents and isolated pancreatic ß-cells. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms in the DRD2/ANKK1 locus may affect susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in humans. METHODS: Four potentially functional variants in the coding region of the DRD2/ANKK1 locus (rs1079597, rs6275, rs6277, rs1800497) were genotyped and analysed for type 2 diabetes susceptibility in up to 25 000 people (8148 with type 2 diabetes and 17687 control subjects) from two large independent Dutch cohorts and one Danish cohort. In addition, 340 Dutch subjects underwent a 2-h hyperglycaemic clamp to investigate insulin secretion. Since sexual dimorphic associations related to DRD2 polymorphisms have been previously reported, we also performed a gender-stratified analysis. RESULTS: rs1800497 at the DRD2/ANKK1 locus was associated with a significantly increased risk for type 2 diabetes in women (odds ratio 1.14 (1.06-1.23); P = 4.1*104) but not in men (odds ratio 1.00 (95% CI 0.93-1.07); P = 0.92) or the combined group. Although rs1800497 was not associated with insulin secretion, we did find another single nucleotide polymorphism in this locus, rs6275, to be associated with increased first-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in women (P = 5.5*104) but again not in men (P = 0.34). CONCLUSION: The present data identify DRD2/ANKK1 as a potential sex-specific type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene.

A gene variant near ATM is significantly associated with metformin treatment response in type 2 diabetes: a replication and meta-analysis of five cohorts.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: In this study we aimed to replicate the previously reported association between the glycaemic response to metformin and the SNP rs11212617 at a locus that includes the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene in multiple additional populations. METHODS: Incident users of metformin selected from the Diabetes Care System West-Friesland (DCS, n = 929) and the Rotterdam Study (n = 182) from the Netherlands, and the CARDS Trial (n = 254) from the UK were genotyped for rs11212617 and tested for an association with both HbA(1c) reduction and treatment success, defined as the ability to reach the treatment target of an HbA(1c) ≤ 7 % (53 mmol/mol). Finally, a meta-analysis including data from literature was performed. RESULTS: In the DCS cohort, we observed an association between rs11212617 genotype and treatment success on metformin (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.03, 1.58, p = 0.028); in the smaller Rotterdam Study cohort, a numerically similar but non-significant trend was observed (OR 1.45, 95% CI 0.87, 2.39, p = 0.15); while in the CARDS cohort there was no significant association. In meta-analyses of these three cohorts separately or combined with the previously published cohorts, rs11212617 genotype is associated with metformin treatment success (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04, 1.49, p = 0.016 and OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.33, 1.38, p = 7.8 × 10(-6), respectively). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: A gene variant near ATM is significantly associated with metformin treatment response in type 2 diabetic patients from the Netherlands and the UK. This is the first robustly replicated common susceptibility locus found to be associated with metformin treatment response.

Metformin activates AMP-activated protein kinase in primary human hepatocytes by decreasing cellular energy status.

AIM/HYPOTHESIS: The glucose-lowering drug metformin has been shown to activate hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a master kinase regulating cellular energy homeostasis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain controversial and have never been investigated in primary human hepatocytes. METHODS: Hepatocytes isolated from rat, mouse and human livers were treated with various concentrations of metformin. Isoform-specific AMPKα abundance and activity, as well as intracellular adenine nucleotide levels and mitochondrial oxygen consumption rates were determined at different time points. RESULTS: Metformin dose- and time-dependently increased AMPK activity in rat and human hepatocytes, an effect associated with a significant rise in cellular AMP:ATP ratio. Surprisingly, we found that AMPKα2 activity was undetectable in human compared with rat hepatocytes, while AMPKα1 activities were comparable. Accordingly, metformin only increased AMPKα1 activity in human hepatocytes, although both AMPKα isoforms were activated in rat hepatocytes. Analysis of mRNA expression and protein levels confirmed that only AMPKα1 is present in human hepatocytes; it also showed that the distribution of ß and γ regulatory subunits differed between species. Finally, we demonstrated that the increase in AMP:ATP ratio in hepatocytes from liver-specific Ampkα1/2 (also known as Prkaa1/2) knockout mice and humans is due to a similar and specific inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory-chain complex 1 by metformin. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Activation of hepatic AMPK by metformin results from a decrease in cellular energy status owing to metformin's AMPK-independent inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory-chain complex 1. The unique profile of AMPK subunits found in human hepatocytes should be considered when developing new pharmacological agents to target the kinase.

Lack of starvation-induced activation of AMP-activated protein kinase in the hypothalamus of the Lou/C rats resistant to obesity.

OBJECTIVE: The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is involved in the control of food intake by the hypothalamus. The aim of this work was to investigate if modification of hypothalamic AMPK regulation could be related to the spontaneous food restriction of Lou/C rats, a strain resistant to obesity exhibiting a 40% reduction in caloric intake compared with their lean Wistar counterparts. DESIGN: Three-month-old male Lou/C rats were compared with age-matched male Wistar rats in both fed ad libitum and 24-h food deprivation state. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: We first confirmed that starvation activated both isoforms of AMPK catalytic alpha subunits and enhanced the phosphorylation state of its downstream targets acetyl-CoA carboxylase and elongation factor 2 in the hypothalamus of Wistar rats. These changes were not observed in the hypothalamus of Lou/C rats. Interestingly, the starvation-induced changes in hypothalamic mRNA levels of the main orexigenic and anorexigenic neuropeptides were also blunted in the Lou/C rats. Analysis of the concentrations of circulating substrates and hormones known to regulate hypothalamic AMPK indicated that the starvation-induced changes in ghrelin, adiponectin and leptin were not observed in Lou/C rats. Furthermore, an increased phosphorylation state of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which admittedly mediates leptin signaling, was evidenced in the hypothalamus of the starved Lou/C rats, as well as modifications of expression of the leptin-sensitive genes suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 and stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1. In addition, despite reduced leptin level in fed Lou/C rats, the phosphorylation state of hypothalamic STAT3 remained similar to that found in fed Wistar rats, an adaptation that could be explained by the concomitant increase in ObRb leptin receptor mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Activation of hypothalamic AMPK by starvation, which stimulates food intake through changes in (an)orexigenic neuropeptides in the normal rats, was not observed in the spontaneously hypophagic Lou/C rats.

Liver mitochondrial properties from the obesity-resistant Lou/C rat.

OBJECTIVE: The first objective was to evaluate the influence of caloric intake on liver mitochondrial properties. The second objective was aimed at determining the impact of increasing fat intake on these properties. DESIGN: Lou/C rats, displaying an inborn low caloric intake and resistant to diet-induced obesity, were compared to Wistar rats fed either ad libitum or pair-fed. An additional group of Lou/C rats were allowed to increase their fat intake by adjusting their diet from a standard high carbohydrate low-fat diet to a high-fat carbohydrate-free diet. MEASUREMENTS: Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) generation, oxygen consumption rate (J(O(2))), membrane potential (DeltaPsi), activity of respiratory chain complexes, cytochrome contents, oxidative phosphorylation efficiency (OPE) and uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) expression were determined in liver mitochondria. RESULTS: H(2)O(2) production was higher in Lou/C than Wistar rats with glutamate/malate and/or succinate, octanoyl-carnitine, as substrates. These mitochondrial features cannot be mimicked by pair-feeding Wistar rats and remained unaltered by increasing fat intake. Enhanced H(2)O(2) production by mitochondria from Lou/C rats is due to an increased reverse electron flow through the respiratory-chain complex I and a higher medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity. While J(O(2)) was similar over a large range of DeltaPsi in both strains, Lou/C rats were able to sustain higher membrane potential and respiratory rate. In addition, mitochondria from Lou/C rats displayed a decrease in OPE that cannot be explained by increased expression of UCP2 but rather to a slip in proton pumping by cytochrome oxidase. CONCLUSIONS: Liver mitochondria from Lou/C rats display higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation but to deplete upstream electron-rich intermediates responsible for ROS generation, these animals increased intrinsic uncoupling of cytochrome oxidase. It is likely that liver mitochondrial properties allowed this strain of rat to display higher insulin sensitivity and resist diet-induced obesity.

Mitochondrial metabolism and type-2 diabetes: a specific target of metformin.

Several links relate mitochondrial metabolism and type 2 diabetes or chronic hyperglycaemia. Among them, ATP synthesis by oxidative phosphorylation and cellular energy metabolism (ATP/ADP ratio), redox status and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, membrane potential and substrate transport across the mitochondrial membrane are involved at various steps of the very complex network of glucose metabolism. Recently, the following findings (1) mitochondrial ROS production is central in the signalling pathway of harmful effects of hyperglycaemia, (2) AMPK activation is a major regulator of both glucose and lipid metabolism connected with cellular energy status, (3) hyperglycaemia by inhibiting glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) by a cAMP mechanism plays a crucial role in NADPH/NADP ratio and thus in the pro-oxidant/anti-oxidant cellular status, have deeply changed our view of diabetes and related complications. It has been reported that metformin has many different cellular effects according to the experimental models and/or conditions. However, recent important findings may explain its unique efficacy in the treatment of hyperglycaemia- or insulin-resistance related complications. Metformin is a mild inhibitor of respiratory chain complex 1; it activates AMPK in several models, apparently independently of changes in the AMP-to-ATP ratio; it activates G6PDH in a model of high-fat related insulin resistance; and it has antioxidant properties by a mechanism (s), which is (are) not completely elucidated as yet. Although it is clear that metformin has non-mitochondrial effects, since it affects erythrocyte metabolism, the mitochondrial effects of metformin are probably crucial in explaining the various properties of this drug.

The insulin sensitizing effect of topiramate involves KATP channel activation in the central nervous system.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Topiramate improves insulin sensitivity, in addition to its antiepileptic action. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. Therefore, the present study was aimed at investigating the mechanism of the insulin-sensitizing effect of topiramate both in vivo and in vitro. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Male C57Bl/6J mice were fed a run-in high-fat diet for 6 weeks, before receiving topiramate or vehicle mixed in high-fat diet for an additional 6 weeks. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp. The extent to which the insulin sensitizing effects of topiramate were mediated through the CNS were determined by concomitant i.c.v. infusion of vehicle or tolbutamide, an inhibitor of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in neurons. The direct effects of topiramate on insulin signalling and glucose uptake were assessed in vivo and in cultured muscle cells. KEY RESULTS: In hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp conditions, therapeutic plasma concentrations of topiramate (∼4 µg·mL(-1) ) improved insulin sensitivity (glucose infusion rate + 58%). Using 2-deoxy-D-[(3) H]glucose, we established that topiramate improved the insulin-mediated glucose uptake by heart (+92%), muscle (+116%) and adipose tissue (+586%). Upon i.c.v. tolbutamide, the insulin-sensitizing effect of topiramate was completely abrogated. Topiramate did not directly affect glucose uptake or insulin signalling neither in vivo nor in cultured muscle cells. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: In conclusion, topiramate stimulates insulin-mediated glucose uptake in vivo through the CNS. These observations illustrate the possibility of pharmacological modulation of peripheral insulin resistance through a target in the CNS.

The dopamine receptor D2 agonist bromocriptine inhibits glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by direct activation of the alpha2-adrenergic receptors in beta cells.

Treatment with the dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) agonist bromocriptine improves metabolic features in obese patients with type 2 diabetes by a still unknown mechanism. In the present study, we investigated the acute effect of bromocriptine and its underlying mechanism(s) on insulin secretion both in vivo and in vitro. For this purpose, C57Bl6/J mice were subjected to an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (ipGTT) and a hyperglycemic (HG) clamp 60min after a single injection of bromocriptine or placebo. The effects of bromocriptine on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), cell membrane potential and intracellular cAMP levels were also determined in INS-1E beta cells. We report here that bromocriptine increased glucose levels during ipGTT in vivo, an effect associated with a dose-dependent decrease in GSIS. During the HG clamp, bromocriptine reduced both first-phase and second-phase insulin response. This inhibitory effect was also observed in INS-1E beta cells, in which therapeutic concentrations of bromocriptine (0.5-50nM) decreased GSIS. Mechanistically, neither cellular energy state nor cell membrane depolarization was affected by bromocriptine whereas intracellular cAMP levels were significantly reduced, suggesting involvement of G-protein-coupled receptors. Surprisingly, the DRD2 antagonist domperidone did not counteract the effect of bromocriptine on GSIS, whereas yohimbine, an antagonist of the alpha2-adrenergic receptors, completely abolished bromocriptine-induced inhibition of GSIS. In conclusion, acute administration of bromocriptine inhibits GSIS by a DRD2-independent mechanism involving direct activation of the pancreatic alpha2-adrenergic receptors. We suggest that treatment with bromocriptine promotes beta cells rest, thereby preventing long-lasting hypersecretion of insulin and subsequent beta cell failure.

AMP-activated protein kinase in the regulation of hepatic energy metabolism: from physiology to therapeutic perspectives.

As the liver is central in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis and energy storage, knowledge of the physiology as well as physiopathology of hepatic energy metabolism is a prerequisite to our understanding of whole-body metabolism. Hepatic fuel metabolism changes considerably depending on physiological circumstances (fed vs. fasted state). In consequence, hepatic carbohydrate, lipid and protein synthesis/utilization are tightly regulated according to needs. Fatty liver and hepatic insulin resistance (both frequently associated with the metabolic syndrome) or increased hepatic glucose production (as observed in type 2 diabetes) resulted from alterations in substrates oxidation/storage balance in the liver. Because AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is considered as a cellular energy sensor, it is important to gain understanding of the mechanism by which hepatic AMPK coordinates hepatic energy metabolism. AMPK has been implicated as a key regulator of physiological energy dynamics by limiting anabolic pathways (to prevent further ATP consumption) and by facilitating catabolic pathways (to increase ATP generation). Activation of hepatic AMPK leads to increased fatty acid oxidation and simultaneously inhibition of hepatic lipogenesis, cholesterol synthesis and glucose production. In addition to a short-term effect on specific enzymes, AMPK also modulates the transcription of genes involved in lipogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis. The identification of AMPK targets in hepatic metabolism should be useful in developing treatments to reverse metabolic abnormalities of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic and hormonal responses to exercise in the anti-obese Lou/C rats.

OBJECTIVE: Lou/C rats are a substrain of Wistar rats that exhibit a spontaneous low caloric intake and no development of obesity with age. Recently, we reported that Lou/C rats, compared to equally food-restricted Wistar counterparts, show lower resting levels of plasma glucose, epinephrine and liver glycogen. To further explore this metabolic particularity, we used exercise (swimming 60 min) as a situation of high-energy demand, to test the ability of Lou/C rats to maintain euglycemia. DESIGN: Male Lou/C rats (14-week-old) were compared to age-matched male Wistar rats fed either ad libitum (WAL) or Wistar rats whose food was chronically restricted (WFR) to the same caloric intake as the Lou/C rats. RESULTS: In spite of low liver glycogen stores ( approximately 50% of normal values), Lou/C rats were able to maintain euglycemia during exercise even though liver glycogen breakdown was blunted. The decreased use of glycogen during exercise in Lou/C rats was associated with a reduced epinephrine response compared to WFR animals. By contrast, WFR were also able to maintain euglycemia during exercise but at the expense of a significant (P<0.01) decrease in liver and muscle glycogen content. Plasma free fatty acid and glycerol concentrations were increased (P<0.01) similarly in all three groups during exercise. In a separate experiment conducted in isolated hepatocytes from 24 h fasted Lou/C and Wistar rats, it was found that gluconeogenic flux from glycerol was found to be significantly (P<0.01) higher in Lou/C than in Wistar rats (5.4+/-0.2 vs 3.7+/-0.1 micromol/min/g dry cells). Resting and exercising plasma leptin levels were also significantly (P<0.05) lower in Lou/C than in the two other groups. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that Lou/C rats have the particularity to rely spontaneously less on their liver glycogen stores to meet their energy demands during exercise while maintaining euglycemia.

Glucose 6-phosphate hydrolysis is activated by glucagon in a low temperature-sensitive manner.

Glucagon affects liver glucose metabolism mainly by activating glycogen breakdown and by inhibiting pyruvate kinase, whereas a possible effect on glucose-6-phosphatase has also been suggested. Although such a target is of physiological importance for liver glucose production it was never proven. By using a model of liver cells, perifused with dihydroxyacetone, we show here that the acute stimulation of gluconeogenesis by glucagon (10(-7) m) was not related to the significant inhibition of pyruvate kinase but to a dramatic activation of the hydrolysis of glucose 6-phosphate. We failed to find an acute change in glucose-6-phosphatase activity by glucagon, but the increase in glucose 6-phosphate hydrolysis was abolished at 21 degrees C; conversely the effect on pyruvate kinase was not affected by temperature. The activation of glucose 6-phosphate hydrolysis by glucagon was confirmed in vivo, in postabsorptive rats receiving a constant infusion of glucagon, by the combination of a 2-fold increase in hepatic glucose production and a 60% decrease in liver glucose 6-phosphate concentration. Besides the description of a novel effect of glucagon on glucose 6-phosphate hydrolysis by a temperature-sensitive mechanism, this finding could represent an important breakthrough in the understanding of type II diabetes, because glucose 6-phosphate is proposed to be a key molecule in the transcriptional effect of glucose.